Need finger food ideas

[DebbieJ]

We're getting to the point where DS refuses the spoon most of the time and would rather feed himself. This is resulting in marathon meals (I think lunch yesterday was an hour as he kept feeding himself the pieces of steamed carrots I gave him).

I need ideas for what to feed him! We just started giving him some proteins. I pureed some chicken, but now he wants nothing to do with the spoon, so it's pretty much a bust. I don't want to do tofu because of the soy issue that I have yet to resolve for myself (the ariticle in Mothering a month or two ago has scared me) so what are some other good finger food sources of protein?

Whatever input you can give me would be wonderful!

~ deb
Mommy to my sweet boy
B born 12/03
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[Marisa6826]

We've always just given Sophie whatever we eat with few exceptions (nuts, fish, acidic or spicy stuff). We started out with a pot of homemade chicken soup. I fished out the chicken and veggies, added some elbow pasta in a little tiny bit of broth. She was hooked!

The veggies in cheese sauce (Green Giant bags) are good, although beware the cheese stains something awful.

He's a little bit young for the whole egg, but you can do the yolks for now. Sophie LOVES her scrambled eggs. I do it with ham and cheese in them.

Have you tried cheese toast? I take a piece of bread, throw a piece of cheese on top and put it in the toaster oven. Let the cheese melt and then cut it into little squares (I use a pizza wheel).

Quesadillas are a nice alternative. Just throw a flour tortilla in a non stick fying pan, top with some shredded cheese (and little pieces of ham or chicken if you want) and then another tortilla. Flip when one side is brown and you're good to go. The quesadillas save particularly well, so you can make one and use the left overs the next day. Just pop in the the micro or toasteroven for a few seconds.

Perdue Short Cuts has ready cooked white meat chicken in a bag. Another of Sophie's faves.

We also do lunch meat - turkey, ham, cheese. I would break it into little pieces for her and she would pick it up. We only just graduated to giving her a piece rolled up and she takes bites off (just like Mommy ;) ).

There are also hotdogs - meat or veggie. Cut them down the middle (long way) and then into little pieces. As long as they are small enough that they're not a choking hazard they are fine.

We also have found Aidell's chicken apple sausage to be a HUGE hit. They sell it at Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Costco.

For breakfast, I give her Cheerios or mini waffles or mini pancakes. Can't beat 20 sec in the microwave! She eats them plain. You can go the basic Aunt Jemima/Eggo route, but there are also organic alternatives at Whole Foods/Trader Joes.

The trick to all of this is just doing little bite sized pieces. I was terrified by the whole concept of feeding her solid foods. Honestly, it does get less overwhelming and scary. Promise!

Good luck

-m

[Puddy73]

Cooked beans of any kind are a quick & easy source of protein. I just rinse off canned beans and give them to DD at room temperature or warmed up a little. Depending on the size of the beans, you may need to mash them up first.

Jennifer
Mommy to Annabelle Mae 9/8/03

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

[divabell]

For protein I've done beans (black or pinto, out of the can), hard-boiled egg yolk, bits of shredded chicken, hot dogs, and mini frittatas. That came from a baby food cookbook--I mixed four egg yolks w/ half a jar of pureed squash I had left over (they said any vegetable puree would work), put it into mini muffin tins and baked in the toaster oven until set. DS loves all of these. I also give him small pieces of cheese (Monterey Jack) at dinner time.

He also gets cheerios, pieces of toasted frozen waffle, and various fruits and veggies. I've given him toast a couple times, and we just tried some pasta tonight for the first time. My ped said to try lots of variety now because as they get older they eat fewer and fewer foods! Good luck.

[kseltmann]

We have been having a similar problem, so I have been working on this for a while now...
I got a great recipe from wholesomebabyfoods.com for these rice/meat balls. I boiled a chicken tenderloin and pureed it with brown rice and added some sweet potatoes, rolled into little balls and she loved them.
Cheese is a huge hit. I give her fresh mozzerella, cheddar, and string cheese (which travels well).
She also loves peas and carrots so I bought frozen peas and carrots (cubed) and that is easy.
I make a little grilled cheese (no butter, just a little pam in the frying pan) with cheddar cheese and I press it down really thin and cut it into little squares. She LOVES that. I have also put chicken in the grilled cheese. She doesn't seem to even notice that its there.
Cannelini beans are great too, but I cut them in half.
Grapes are a hit, I peel and cut them up too.
Oh, and somewhere I read to cut up fruit but dredge the pieces in ground cheerios so they aren't as slimy. SHE LOVES THAT!!!
I hope that helps!
Kathryn
Emily 9.24.03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030924/3/4/3/-5/.png[/img][/url]

[kijip]

Cube everything! The chicken can be eaten in small (think cruton size) pieces rather than ground. Egg is great, just cook it well (less messy). We started whole eggs a bit early (ok-ed by ped) but you can stick to just the yolks if you prefer to wait. Whole, soft cooked beans are a decent choice too. Toby loved them.

I really agree to waiting on soy!

[DebbieJ]

I knew I could count on you ladies. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Now to go grocery shopping...

~ deb
Mommy to my sweet boy
B born 12/03
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10023.jpg http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10029.gif

[Jen in Chicago]

Jude's favorite thing at that stage was baked beans. I bought all kinds (whatever was on sale) and he loved it! I also would give him ground beef/sausage/chicken/pork, which was a bit hit or miss.

Grated cheese, bananas, diced apples, pancakes, scrambled eggs, green beans (another favorite- I buy cans like they are doing out of style!)

Boiled diced sweet and regular potatoes were good, but don't overcook them or they are too mushy to pick up.

Anything mixed into pasta is a hit. The same goes for anything with a bit of BBQ sauce on it (that is how I got ground stuff to be eatten.)

Trader Joe's chicken fried rice was a hit too.

Meals at this stage are long and messy, but it is fun time for them discovering and experiencing the foods.

The next stage is only eatting things with a utensil, that takes even longer! That is where we are now. Ugh!

[sdbc]

What is the reason for waiting on soy? The phytohormones? Thanks!